Angry Queensland doctors prepared to resign en masse #qldpol #smoqld #keepourdoctors
Hundreds of doctors are prepared to ‘drop a nuclear bomb’ on the Queensland government and walk away from their work in public hospitals, a union says.
About 950 senior medical officers will meet on Wednesday night to vote on individual work contracts at the heart of a bitter dispute with the government.
Their union says the contracts are an offensive attack on working conditions and believes doctors will reject them despite last-minute concessions by the government.
Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation president Tony Sara says he already has hundreds of signed resignation letters.
If there’s consensus tonight on rejecting the contracts, they’ll be lobbed onto the desk of Health Minister Lawrence Springborg.
“When we perceive there’s enough of those resignations to make a nuclear option available to us, your representatives, then we will exercise that nuclear option,” he told angry officers at the Royal Brisbane Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Australian Medical Association president Steve Hambleton urged officers to stand up for their rights, saying harsh contracts never delivered good outcomes.
“But there are plenty of jurisdictions in the world that show partnerships with senior intelligent individuals will deliver benefits,” Dr Hambleton told the crowd.
Anaesthetist Dr Rob Elliot said he felt let down and betrayed by the Newman government.
“It’s now legal in this state, in this state alone, to have a contract of employment that is unfair, unjust and unreasonable,” he said.
“Who wants to sign a contract? Put up your hand? No-one does, it’s rubbish. Throw it in the bin.”
In a bid to get doctors to sign the contracts, Mr Springborg has promised the Hospital and Health Boards Act will be amended so the director-general has less power to change contracts.
Other amendments include changes that can only be made if they don’t disadvantage SMOs.
The changed contracts also set out a new dispute resolution process, give doctors a say over roster changes and transfers, and say what key performance indicators involve.
Source: AAP